


A Court of Silk and Silver

by cursed_siren



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Autumn court, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Love Triangle, Swordfighting Lesbians, Winter Court, fencing bisexual
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26319571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cursed_siren/pseuds/cursed_siren
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

The air was warm with the vibrant, warm smell of roasted chestnuts and cinnamon, distant music and laughter filling the windowless halls and corridors of the palace.Perhaps the afternoon had already waned to the deep reds and golds of the evening sun as nothing dared break the softness of this evening. 

Nothing until the hiss of blades connecting rang out.Rapid footsteps.Heavy breaths.And again and Again the scream of steel against steel untill finally, one sword clattered against the polished marble floors.

„By the cauldron!You made me bleed“


	2. Character Introduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As this is a fic of self indulgence, a brief introductions to the characters

  
  
Zystran || The second in command of the Winter Court and Emissary to the Autumn Court Zystran has served under he Lord of the Winter Court for years, even centuries now and remains loyal by his side.He has been sent here as an Ambassador with Aurelia by his side even though their relationship has been more than strained for years now.  
  
  
Aurelia || A stranger with an unknown past and Daphne‘s new fencing intructor.Aurelia has been at the court of of the Lord of Winter for all of her life,but was sent to the High Court of Autumn with Zystran As his assistant, as well as an offer to, for the time being, become her fencing instructor. 

  


  


Daphne || Daughter of the High Lord of the Autumn Court.Daphne ‚red-dale‘ is the only daughter of the High Lord of Autumn.She has been gifted with the same firery Heart as well as the strenght of a High Fae.She is well known for her firery temperament as well as her warm heart.


	3. Shrouded in dark mists and snow storms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two guests arrive at the High Court of Autumn and Lady Daphne receives a wonderous gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woman who has red one book in the ACOTAR series once writes a ACOTAR fanfiction with mostly ocs #1

Trumpets rang out through the chilly Morning air.Fallen, golden leaves paved the gravel path leading up to the Palace Gates beneath a thick blanket of mist and dew. The sun already stood in the pale blue sky, yet the cold air of the night still held the Autumn Court in a firm grasp even if none of the courtiers would show it.All wrapped in exquisite, painted brocade in shades of bronze and gold and elegant, long cloaks of embroidered Wool with seams of fur. In their midst stood the high lord himself, a regal man, glowing with poise and power.Neatly combed hair as dark as the finest wines and eyes as bright as polished copper.A crown of woven bronze and gold, reminiscent of grape vines and ivy unmistakably marked him as the High Lord and ruler of these lands to anyone who dared meet his gaze.By his side, as radiant as her father-or arguably more so was the youthful lady Daphne.The only daughter of his.Where the High Lord‘s features were hard and cold as the Autumn nights, Daphne‘s seemed fair and wild even if they shared the same eyes, the same, delicatly arched ears and the same, noble cheekbones. Her skirts of wine-red silk fluttered in the morning breeze, the copper-colored locks pinned and braided to a radiant, red halo around the back of her head. Both their attire was so clearly presentational, and why shouldn‘t it be?For weeks the court had been in anticipation of the coming envoy of the Winter Court, and this morning they would finally arrive. The clattering of wooden wheels against the paved gravel met the courtyard just moments before a carbed, bright white carriage passed beneath the golden arch, pulled by a great moose.Swirls of deep blue paint along the edges of the carriage glittered against the morning sunlight as it came to a halt in the middle of the yard.The court bowed, all but the high lord and his daughter of course.

The door was opened and out stepped two figures.A young man, pale blue as the ice of a frozen lake, the other a young woman,gold as sunlight caught in fresh fallen snow. „I hail thee, High Lord Eris of the Autumn Court“,the male spoke, bowing deeply.He didn‘t have to introduce himself for by now, every kitchen maid and stable boy of the court knew his name, it was Zystran, the envoy from the Court of Winter.Tales and Whispers spun themselves around his past, most of which was still shrouded in dark mists and snow storms.He was a distant cousin to the Lady of the Winter Court, many whispered, that he had reached his position by gaining the favor of one of her daughters.Those with more of an ear for gossip, however, might have also heard rumours that that very favor with one of the children of the High Lord had been what had gotten Zystran sent away from the court.With eyes as shimmering as frozen lake and hair as pure as snow it was not hard to gage where all those whispers had stemmed from.

„Rise, Zystran of the Lands of Winter.It is our pleasure and honor to have you as our honored guest in our home“,the high lord spoke, giving a nod. As the envoy straightened up, a small chest, barely wider than the ones one might store jewelry in but as long as a grown man‘s arm, i was handed to the High Lord. „This is but a trinket, but we hope it may bring joy to you“,Zystran spoke, pointing his gloved hand to the chest. The lid was opened easily enough, revealing a velvet-clad inside.Resting there was a polished, silver rapier.The intricately crafted handguard of thin strands of metal,akin to a flurry of swirling snow frozen in time with a delicately cut opal in the center led up to the thin, silvered blade.Fine ornaments and patterns climbed up towards the tip of the blade, dimnly shimmering in the morning sun.   
It was only a short moment in which father and daughter held eye contact but it spoke a thousand words.Only recently had Daphne forced another fencing teacher into retirement-or into fleeing from his occupation.

„I thank you for this wonderful sign of fine craftsmanship, I shall treasure this blade forever“.Lady Daphne had taken a step forward upon receiving the sword, feeling its weight in her hand.She had never been an expert at swordfighting, but she had gone through a fair share of lessons.Enough to know the worth of the blade between her fingers.There was a bright smile on her lips as she traced a delicate finger up the lenght of the blade, along the shining patterns etched into the metal.Only as another unfamiliar voice spoke up, was Daphne‘s Attention captured once more.It was the young woman standing behind the Envoy, the long,loose sleeves of her silvery blouse billowing in the breeze as she took a step forward. „My Lord,I have considered the most gracious offer you made me in our correspondence.It would be my honor to offer my services as your daughter‘s tutor“.A Daphne looked up from the rapier in her hands, she already saw the other woman‘s gaze pinned to her.Two eyes as bright and blue as the break of day, sharp with intent and expectation.But there was an unmistakable smile tugging at a corner of her lips.Her shade of hair awoke the memory of lucious ,warm caramel. It took but a moment for Daphne to actually process what was being said.A new tutor?   
“Oh Cauldron, not again.“,she thought to herself,biting down on her lower lip to keep quiet.It wouldn‘t be kind to show her dislike to this,especially as she noticed the pleased expression in her father‘s eyes.A rare sight. „Very well“, he spoke, giving a content nod to the foreigner before turning his attention to both guest and his court once more,“In celebration we shall hold a grand feast tonight!“.Sounds of joy and approval rang out,as any fae could find joy in the revelry of a feast.


	4. Ice melts quickly in the Autumn sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zystran and Aurelia, rivals for the longest time, share a moment before the feast.

“iT wOuLd bE mY hOnOr tUtOr yOuR dAuGhTeR-Buttering him up, that‘s what you‘re trying to“, he said with a chuckle and a sneer as look as room‘s door fell into the lock. Zystran and Aurelia had really been led to their private chambers, the latter of which had now arrived, a stack on parchments in her hands. “Oh would you shut it for just one moment?“, she purred back at him, although it was more of a hiss than anything,“I should‘ve never agreed to Kallias‘ offer to come with you…you are truly a pest, Zystran“. Aurelia blew a loose curls off her cheek and to the sides, annoyance heavy on her lids as she glanced over to the mad who, regrettably, would be her superior for the coming weeks. Or months. They both had grown to appreciate their relentless bickering.

His gaze followed her steps across the oiled oak floor over to the dark wood desk where Aurelia placed down the stack of papers. “Ah, I had been looking for those documents…let me guess, they were in your bags?“, Zystran responded, seemingly unfazed by the heat beneath her words, gracing it with a smug smile as he rose from the tall, deep red armchair he had been lounging on, placing down the book in his hands. He watched her spin around to look at him, the way she raised a brow inquiringly as if trying to foresee what his next act of mischief would be. “Oh my sweet snowdrop, always accusing me of crimes i have yet to commit“, Zystran gave a playfully solemn smile before pointing to the wine pitcher by his side,“Wine?“, he inquired as a smile tugged his lips back to a smile. She scoffed, followed by a frustrated huff, swallowing words she had yet to say, then gave a defeated sign.“It‘s the only way i can survive our time here“. Wine was already being poured as those words were spoken.

“You must not survive, but instead *thrive* here“, Zystran‘s tone was clearly a play on the word of their High Lord just days before as he slowly swirled his glass. The contrast of the dark red wine against his almost unnaturally pale skin making mockery of the warm-toned interior of the Autumn Palace, even now that he had exchanged the stark white coat that made up his travel attire for a soft, cream colored attire.It still felt like he had been torn out of a painting, only to be glued into an entirely different one. Aurelia, however, seemed more in place than Strand had ever seen her, smugly smiling at him, bathed in the warmth of Autumn, the caramel colored hair almost seeming like true gold for just the blink of an eye.It was almost mesmerizing. Zystran had to tear his thoughts of her by the time she took the first sip out her glass. By the time he had handed over a filled chalice of wine, she had already taken ahold of the armchair he had stood up out of only moments earlier. She still carried the same triumphant smile as the moment she had claimed her throne‘ from him. Leaving Zystran to lounge by the windowless oriel opposite of her, where heavy, intricately embroidered velvet curtains aimed to give the illusion of a view to the outside world. Even the pale, magical lights embedded in the rock behind the stained-glass however could not change the dark stone into the skies.

“So why did you take the High Lord‘s brat on?“, he spoke eventually, breaking the silence after a few moments. Unlike the members of the Autumn court, he was well aware of her Epithet.It was almost strange how, no matter how prominent those little things were inside the lands of winter were, how quickly they yielded to the outside world. Ice melts quickly in the autumn sun, as it seemed. Aurelia Steel-Maid was what they called her, the finest blade dancer in the Court of Winter. And yet, she had never taken on a student. Aurelia sipped her wine, silent for a few moments. “I think Daphne has potential“, she replied, finally. Yet they both knew that was far from the awns er.It couldn‘t be further from the truth. She had turned away knights and renowned nobles.

Zystran didn‘t try to catch her gaze as well as Aurelia didn‘t dare lift hers from the pool of deep red wine in her chalice, finishing it to fill the silence. Perhaps it was another of their unspoken rules, to not probe deeper in these moments, it was a question for another time. Another day.

Aurelia was already rising from her seat. So, the High Lord announced a feast tonight, i better go make myself look pretty. Remember to be on time, just this once at least“, she spoke, this time it was her voice making a mockery of the words of another, an amused tone under her words as she batted her eyelashes, a sickly sweet smile on her lips.

“Remember to leave the sword in your chambers this time, we cannot have another yule-festival incident“, Zystran reminded her, raising a finder at her and taking the emptied chalice from her hand. Last Year‘s Yule had made a fond memory in both their minds, the lesson learned from it even more so. Reminiscing about it got a low chuckle out of him as he led her to the door, opening it for her.

“I know, Courtiers tend to react poorly to having swords pulled on them“, although it was accompanied by an eye-roll, Zystran knew his words had been taken into account-perhaps she would only bring her blade to the dinner table tomorrow


	5. red flame toungues burning away its icy glint

Perhaps the preparations for the feast were exciting to some.If only announced mere hours beforehand, excitement turned to panic. Panic down to the very last member of the chain.

Even the nimble fingers of her Handmaid‘s hand seemed to work their way faster through the laces of Daphne‘s Corset untill it sat as snug as a second skin against her torso. Formal attire was set for the evening, after all, a welcome feast was a large event for all of the court.

„You know what they say about the winter court“,she snickered, pulling the white underskirt over her hips and tying it in place.“All spirits have a hard time freezing“.It was a common saying among all south of the lands of winter.They held their liquor well, perhaps through practice during their long nights, filled with snow and darkness.Daphne could not think of another way to survive a life to eternal winter.What a grim world they must live in.But even her maid gave a soft laugh and went to fetch the evening‘s dress that was picked out for the feast.a gown of sweeping, bronze chiffon and organze, shifting with each movement between hues of gold and red, rich with embroidery of pitch and wine red as flaming embers .The collar was wide enough to grasp only the edges of her shoulders, but shallow enough to pass just a hand‘s width beneath the collarbone, a radiant dress for such a wondrous evening. 

„Well then Milady should be careful about her competitiveness catching the best of her tonight“,the maid replied, a smile and a laugh in her words as she fastened the waistband of the gown.Too many times had Daphne‘s fiery temper gotten the best of her at balls or feasts, she had drank grown men beneath tables-yet had also gotten the short end of the stick just as often.

“You loose every battle you don‘t fight“, she thought to noone but herself with a small chuckle on her breath.

„If anything, I‘m just glad for the change they bring…thing have been awfully dull here for a while now“. The summers always seemed endless in this lands.The long stretch between the celebrations marking the end of winter and those praising the harvest dragged on for months and months, but soon enough they would come to a much-anticipated end.First with the arrival of the emissary,and in a few weeks time with the beginning of harvest, a fortnight of celebration and feasts , of hunting in the red woods and dancing around the last bonfires of fall.Daphne pulled a sash of deep red silk over her head,arranging it across her front and affixing it with a brooch of the royal cresh of autumn.A golden leaf atop of a field of bronze.

She let her mind wander to the events of this morning.”I must confess, i am not keen on having another sword fighting tutor”, in the last year only, she had made two of her teachers quit, one flee the court and another disappear without a trace.It was not a thing she was proud of, Daphne enjoyed being a princess of laughter and joy-but for fencing she could never muster any fondness-and at this point being the bane of her tutors was a matter of pride.Why would she have any need for fencing anyways?

Daphne sank to the chair infront of her vanity, taking a comb to brush through her hair.”How long do you recon she’ll last?I say...two weeks,at most”, the Lady added with a low chuckle.It was a shame for the gold-haired stranger, she was pleasant sight, but simply by circumstance she could not bear any fondness for the young woman.With the quick hands of her handmaid, she watched as her hair was braided back into a waterfall of red locks.

“Try to not be too harsh on her heart, Milady.I believe she might have not heart of the reputation that precedes you”,the maid spoke.Surely it was the only explanation for her folly.

“I’ll try to be...gentle.Mayhaps,if the gods are with me, this is the last teacher my lord father feels like torturing me with”,Daphne gave a dry smile as she affixed a pair of earrings to her ears.Through the seeing glass, her gaze fell onto the sword affixed to the wall as it captured the warm light of the fireplace in its milky white blade, the shine of red flame toungues burning away its icy glint.It was the sword she had received just this morning.Lady Daphne had received plenty of gifts in the past centuries, by courtiers attempting to gain her favor, by suitors attempting to woo her and mostly by her father and his vain attempt to make up for an utter lack of love.

But swords had not been among the trinkets she had received in the past.

After all, what purpose did a Lady have for a sword?Besides it looking pretty mounted on the wall it would likely never find use in her hands.

“Lynar, tell me, what do you think of the ambassador?Zystran is what they call him,I believe”,She spoke, taking her eyes of the sword to tantalizingly glimmering on the Wall.

“He is quite dashing”,the Handmaid spoke,”But I trust you know what they speak of him,he collects broken hearts like some other would collect jewelry”

“Some say he has tryst or more with one of the daughter of the High Lord of Autumn-some speak more wicked words”, Daphne finished the sentence with a roll of the eyes and a short-lived chuckle.Nobles talked a lot, even more so if they were bored.Gossip was all most had at the High courts. So far Lord Zystran had proven nothing other than being Handsome and a bringer of trouble.His competence he would be able to proove soon enough.

The lady rose from her chair, and gave a last, approving nod to her reflection.”I believe i should be ready to endure whatever this evening holds in store”, she spoke,sliding a wide, golden ring onto her Finger, mayhaps this feast would be less of a dull afair than she would have expected.


End file.
